How does a college-indie band become famous? Well, giving yourselves a bizarre name definitely helps. Vampire Weekend coined their signature "Upper West Side Soweto" sound while attending college at Columbia University. Their unique blend of African pop and classical music became instantly popular. After the release of their self-produced debut album Vampire Weekend the group was quickly signed to XL Recordings and has inspired Rolling Stone to rank their self-titled debut album the 10th best of 2008 and their song "A Punk" the 4th best in 2008.

And in April, the Bay Area is lucky enough to be one of the chosen stops. Their April 19th show at The Fox Theatre in Oakland sold out almost instantaneously. Lucky for us, they've added a second show for April 20th, and tickets are still available. That being said, you probably want to buy your tickets soon, before this show sells out as well. This will be the first time since Vampire Weekend has played in the area since 2008. It's also right on the heels of the January 14th release of their new album Contra which was inspired by the Californian lifestyle and the way in which Californians interact with the nature around them.

GetWize: Contra's album cover sparked extensive discussion and speculation when it was first released. The photo is apparently from 1983 and the band did not know the girl personally. Ezra has said her expression, and the multiple interpretations people find in it, is representative of the direction of the album.